Four Things You’re Probably Doing That Are Destroying Your Rugs

At PCS of Southern Connecticut in the Trumbull area, we deal with rugs that need cleaning each and every day that would have sustained far less damage if they had been given the proper care. To help prevent making the same mistakes, four of the most common mistakes people make that harm their rugs are listed above.

Not Washing Them Properly

Sometimes taking the initiative to be proactive and clean your rugs on your own can actually have a negative effect on them if done incorrectly. In essence, washing your rugs the wrong way can be far worse than not even washing them at all. To wash your rugs correctly, you need to hand-wash them and refrain from using any harsh chemicals such as bleach. When you hand-wash, do it gently with a mild detergent. When you are done with washing, hang out your rugs to air dry as opposed to putting them in the washer which can warp the backings of your rug.

Putting Them In The Sun

Sunlight pouring in from your windows causes not only your furniture to fade and become unevenly toned, but has an effect on your rugs as well. Sunlight is a natural bleach and prolonged exposure to rays shining in your windows will cause the affected rugs to become dull in color.

To keep even color in all your area rugs, placement is key. Rotate your rugs often to limit exposure to the sun and try to keep your rugs out of direct sunlight. There is also a fluorocarbon protective coating you can have placed on your rugs when you have them cleaned to help limit the effect of direct sunlight on your carpets.

How You Vacuum

If you don’t shake your rugs out before vacuuming them and then vacuum on a low setting that pulls the material off the floor, you are doing more harm than good in the cleaning efforts of your rugs.

Rugs should be vacuumed on a higher floor setting so the vacuum brushes and wheels don’t place too much pressure on the tender fabrics. You should never vacuum any rug fringe; rather, brush fringe out with your fingers or with a wide-bristled comb to remove stuck-in debris and hair.

Vacuuming should be done on your rugs regularly as well, and make sure you vacuum both sides of your area rugs to preserve their quality. Vacuum high traffic area rugs more frequently than rugs that see less abuse.

Where You Put Your Rugs

When planning where to place your area rugs throughout your home, you should take into account areas that will have higher traffic and use rugs that are built for handling heavy traffic. For instance, oriental rugs are a great centerpiece to any room and will receive much less wear and tear in the center of a room and last longer. On the other hand, a hallway runner rug is a great choice for your hallway where there is heavy traffic.

We hope that you are able to avoid any and all unnecessary damage to your rugs. Nonetheless, mistakes happen and so does normal wear and tear. If your rugs need cleaning, don’t hesitate to contact the pros at PCS of Southern Connecticut in the Trumbull to help you make your rugs look like new.